Civilization VII: Patch Notes – September 15, 2026

Update 1.5.0 is officially live, bringing a batch of changes to Civilization VII, including the addition of the long-awaited True Start Location Earth map*. What makes this release even sweeter is that it lands right as we celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Civilization franchise! 

A note for Switch/Switch 2 players: This patch will be coming at a later date. Thank you for hanging in with us while we work to get this patch through the additional Nintendo submission requirements. In the meantime, the current console-compatible Switch version remains available with full crossplay support with Steam (instructions on how to access here). Switch to other console cross-play will be unavailable until the update arrives to Switch / Switch 2. 

If you caught our developer panel at PAX, you also saw our first big look into Civ VII’s future, including the fourth age in the free Arc of Tomorrow update, and our upcoming expansion, Earthrise. Our team is now going heads-down to bring those massive releases across the finish line. Because of that, our patch cadence will naturally quiet down over the coming months, though we still have one more interim update in the pipeline.

If you want an early look behind the curtain and a chance to help us shape what’s next, come apply to the Firaxis Feature Workshop to provide feedback on early builds with the team! In the meantime, we hope 1.5.0 gives you plenty of reasons to celebrate 35 years of empire-building. 

Let’s jump into the notes! 

Before You Dive In…

• Update drivers: We recommend ensuring your graphics drivers are up-to-date and to double check our Minimum System Requirements for the best experience.
• Backwards compatibility: While we aim to maintain backwards compatibility for existing saves as much as possible, some new abilities or effects may not appear until you start a new game. For the best experience, we recommend starting a new game.
• Legacy branch: Are you playing on Steam and want to finish your current save under a previous version? You can do so using our legacy Steam beta branch. To join the legacy branch, right-click Sid Meier's Civilization VII in your Steam library, select Properties, then click over to the Betas tab. From there, select the “legacy” option. 

As a reminder, you can visit our tracker to see known issues. If you’re encountering an issue, you can submit a bug report with the team here. 

Feature Spotlights

True Start Location Earth Map

True Start Location Earth* has officially arrived in Civilization VII! 

Built exclusively on a Huge scale to maximize playable space, this hand-crafted map emulates the planet Earth as closely as possible, including terrain, river, Resource, and Natural Wonder locations. All campaigns start in Antiquity, with your starting location determined by the historic capital of your chosen civ.

For Civilization VII, we introduced a few twists and updates that we haven’t had in previous Civilization games. Major waterways like the Nile and Amazon now feature Navigable Rivers, and each map will always include seven Natural Wonders, picked from a randomized pool each time. To give starting locations room to breathe, we trimmed away Tundra and empty Ocean tiles, and magnified a few key areas like Europe (to avoid overcrowding), and Hawaii and Japan to ensure island starts aren’t always a challenge run.

With the introduction of handcrafted regional maps, the map selection screen is going to be pretty crowded soon. As we add more maps, expect an update to the map selection screen.

If you want to learn even more about the development of TSL Earth map, take a look at our recent From the Devs article. We can’t wait to see how you reshape world history – happy exploring! 

*Earth map is currently available on Steam, Epic, Mac, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.  It is not currently available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Not available for Advanced Starts.

Terra Incognita & Shuffle Maps

TSL Earth map isn’t the only map update we have in 1.5.0! Terra Incognita and Shuffle maps have been reimagined with Voronoi technology, completing our process of providing updated versions of all base-game maps to players. 

The Shuffle map type generates two main areas on the map and divides civs between them like a standard Continents map. However, each area is procedurally generated based on a different base map script. For example, one half of the map might be generated like an Archipelago map, while the other half looks like a Fractal Continents map. The four possible types of map generation are: Continents, Fractal Continents, Archipelago, and Shattered Seas. You can roll the same type of map on both sides, but it’ll be uncommon. Shuffle maps are a great choice for players that like high variance and having to figure out their map each game. 

The Terra Incognita map type is a variant of the Shuffle map type that guarantees that one of the two main regions of the map is generated like a Continents map. When possible, human players will start on the Continent side. The other side is randomized, with a significantly reduced chance of being a Continents map again. This map type is great for players that still want some mystery in the Exploration Age but like having a reliable Antiquity Age. 

Now that we’ve completed our map generation updates, you may be wondering what’s next for maps in Civ VII. We’re considering new options for map generation like the Sea Level option introduced earlier this year, level-designed regional maps like Earth, and brand-new map types like Shattered Seas. We’d love to hear from you about where you’d like map updates to go next - so let us know on Steam, Discord, or wherever you talk Civ! 

Pay Influence to Stay Neutral

Ever been peacefully building your empire when suddenly, an Ally drags you into an unwanted war? With 1.5.0, we’re giving you a new option to stay out of conflict and maintain your Alliance (as long as you have the Influence to spare). 

When an Ally enters a war, you’ll now have an additional option to pay Influence and stay out of it. This paid Influence is still going directly to your Ally, so you’ll still be showing support… from your peaceful position on the sidelines, that is. At regular intervals (every 10 turns on Standard speed), you’ll have another opportunity to join the war, or pay Influence again to stay peaceful. The only exception is if two of your Allies go to war with each other, in which case you cannot remain neutral. 

Diplomatic gameplay can swing the outcome of a game wildly, especially around war, so we’re making targeted adjustments while we measure the impact on full games. We expect this change to have a strong impact in games with lots of human players, and for players who want more tools to navigate their web of Allies in the late game. We plan to continue to make targeted changes in this area of gameplay, and are looking at either liberation mechanics to return Settlements to their original owners, or a review of Alliance effects to increase their value. 

UI Improvements: Radial Ruler, Improved Tooltips, & Syncretism Unlock Info

1.5.0 includes a few notable UI improvements, aimed at giving you more information to inform your empire-building strategies. These improvements include the new Radial Ruler, Improved Plot Tooltips, and Syncretism unlock information when selecting a civ. 

Radial Ruler

For multiple mechanics and effects in Civilization VII, counting tiles and measuring tile distance can be necessary for making strategic decisions. 

Settlements can generally only claim hexes up to three tiles away from the City Center, the El Escorial Wonder only affects Settlements that are within six tiles of it, and many of the Gauls’ abilities and effects (more info on this new civ below!) are all about how far your own Settlements are from one another, and from those of your foes. 

To spare you from counting tiles by hand, we’ve added a new Radial Ruler to help. The Radial Ruler is an overlay that will follow your cursor showing what tiles are within a three-tile radius, and a six-tile radius from the highlighted plot. You can turn it on and off from the Lenses Panel, and you can also easily toggle it while the Settler Lens is active.

Improved Plot Tooltips

Additionally, Plot Tooltips now call out whether a plot is part of an Island to help support the new England civ, and they also display the tile’s Appeal level and value to help out Heian Japan. We’ve also added additional information to Unit Tooltips, so you can more quickly get access to information such as base Combat Strength or Movement speed. You can easily access these tooltips by hovering over a Unit Flag on the map.

Syncretism Unlock Info

Ever find yourself wondering which civs you’re able to syncretize with? Now, this information is available right at your fingertips during game setup! Before you make your first turn, you’ll be able to view not just which civs are unlocked by your chosen leader and civ each Age, but also which civs you can syncretize with outside of your Apex Age.

Hall of History Content Collection

Launching with Update 1.5.0 is the latest Content Collection, Hall of History**. This Collection focuses on classics that longtime Civ fans will recognize from previous entries in the franchise. Unlike previous collections, Hall of History is being released all at once; you’ll receive access to the entire collection immediately upon purchase.

**Base game required. Each DLC will be delivered automatically in-game on release. Terms apply.

Leaders

NEW Leader: Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I, the last of the Tudors, reigned over England for 44 years. Under her rule, England went from a small, insignificant country to a major player on the world stage, decimating Spain's armada and founding early settlements in North America. Her English privateers dominated the seas, her merchants laid the foundation of the East India Company, and her policies created room for Shakespeare and the other great English playwrights. She was a monarch, a queen, a woman who refused to be limited by the expectations of her time.

• Attributes: Cultural, Economic
• Unique Ability - Royal Monopoly: Unlimited Trade Route Range. When you found a Settlement on a different Continent than your Capital, receive a Great Work. Increased Movement to Naval Units, Embarked Settlers, and Embarked Merchants. Merchants and Settlers have reduced training costs. Decreased Combat Strength per Age to Land Combat Units.
• Agenda - Trade Agreement: Increase Relationship with civilizations that have more Trade Routes than you. Decrease Relationship with civilizations that have as many or fewer Trade Routes than you.

Check out the full Game Guide for Elizabeth I here.

NEW Leader: George Washington

The first President of the United States, George Washington did not seek greatness; he was pulled to it. A planter and surveyor from Virginia, Washington gained a reputation for fortitude under fire in the French and Indian War, a reputation that led to his being placed at the head of the Continental Army in the Revolution. Outmanned and outgunned, Washington nevertheless managed to defeat the British and secure the freedom of the United States — but he could not rest. Called upon again to serve as President of the new republic, Washington remained a tireless advocate for unity, for individuals to put their party politics and personal interest aside and work together to make a more dignified, orderly nation.

• Attributes: Diplomatic, Expansionist
• Unique Ability - Constitutional Convention: Gain a Migrant in your Capital when entering a Celebration. Increased Food per Age in Towns and increased Happiness per Age in Cities for each Policy–but not each Tradition–slotted in your Government. Start with a Policy Slot and additional Policies:
  • Continental Ambition: Increased Production toward training Settlers.
  • Bill of Rights: Increased Culture and Production per Age on the Palace.
• Agenda - Hearts of His Countrymen: Increase Relationship with civilizations that have the most Happy, Joyous, or Ecstatic Towns. Decrease Relationship with civilizations that have the most Unhappy or Angry Towns.

Check out the full Game Guide for George Washington here.

Civilizations

NEW Civilization: Babylon

From the time of Hammurabi to the height of Nebuchadnezzar II, the city of Babylon was the center of Mesopotamian culture. Though Babylonia changed hands several times throughout the period, it eventually overthrew the Assyrian Empire, extending Babylonian reach through the Levant and northern Arabia. The Persians conquered Babylon in 539 BCE, but the city remained a center of economic prosperity and cultural excellence long into the next millennium.

• Apex Age: Antiquity
• Attributes: Cultural, Expansionist
• Unique Ability - City at the Center of the World (Antiquity Age): Every time you build a Food Building, Culture Building, or Wonder in a City, receive an additional Growth Event. Starts with a reduced Settlement Limit. 
• Unique Civilian Unit - Tamkāru (Unique Merchant Unit): When you establish a Trade Route from your Capital, receive a set amount of Culture for each tile extending from the Capital (scales based on game speed).
• Unique Military Unit - Qašti (Unique Ranged Unit): Increased Production towards the Qašti if a Settlement has an Altar and increased Combat Strength for Districts or Wonders within one tile.
• Unique Improvement - Kirimāḫu: Increased Food. Additional increased Food for each adjacent District. Limit to one per Settlement, must be placed adjacent to a River.
• Associated Wonder - Hanging Gardens: Increased Food on Farms in this Settlement. Increased Growth Rate in all Cities. Gain Expansionist Attribute Point. Must be placed adjacent to a River.

Check out the full Game Guide for Babylon here.

NEW Civilization: Gauls

Throughout the Iron Age, much of western Europe was settled by the Gauls, a group of Celtic tribes known for their brilliant metalsmiths and fearless warriors. As their population grew, the Gauls began seeking new resources and fresh land - but so did their neighbors, most famously, the Romans. In 390 BCE, the Gauls sacked Rome, becoming the most feared of Rome's enemies for centuries. Eventually united under their chieftain Vercingetorix, the Gauls offered fierce resistance to Rome's imperial ambitions, forever leaving their mark on history.

• Apex Age: Antiquity
• Attributes: Economic, Expansionist
• Unique Ability - Favor of Cernunnos (Antiquity Age): Increased Production in Settlements if there is not another Gaul-founded Settlement’s City Center within a set number of tiles. Increased Gold if your Settlement’s City Center is within a set number of tiles from another civilization’s border. Towns can purchase Fortification Buildings regardless of Town Focus.
• Unique Civilian Unit - Druid (Unique Settler Unit): Increased Movement. If you found a Settlement on a Breathtaking Appeal tile, receive a free Nemeton Unique Building; can be used in any Settlement that can construct a Nemeton.
• Unique Military Unit - Gaisatai (Unique Infantry Unit): Increased Combat Strength for adjacent Military Units.
• Unique Quarter - Dūnon: Increased HP to Fortifications in this Settlement.
  • Unique Building - Nemeton: Increased Happiness. Culture Adjacency with Breathtaking Appeal tiles. Counts as Fortification.
  • Unique Building - Goben: Increased Culture. Increased Gold and increased Production toward Military Units if placed on Rough Terrain. Increased Production Adjacency with tiles of other civilizations. Counts as Fortification.
• Associated Wonder - Vix: Gain Great Work slots. Increased Culture and increased Gold to Ageless Buildings in this Settlement. Cannot be placed adjacent to a District.

Check out the full Game Guide for the Gauls here.

NEW Civilization: England

Forged in battle, refined at the altar, England dominated medieval Europe. Under the Plantagenets, the crown contended with the church, the aristocracy, and restive neighbors to shore up a kingdom of strength and beauty, of longbows and Gothic cathedrals. Transformed by plague and the Hundred Years’ War, England emerged into the Tudor era rich in arts and economy, primed for reformation and colonial expansion – growth that laid the foundations for the British Empire.

• Apex Age: Exploration
• Attributes: Economic, Cultural
• Unique Ability - Magna Carta (Exploration Age): Increased Culture on Gold Buildings and increased Gold on Culture Buildings; this is doubled for Island and Distant Lands Settlements.
• Unique Civilian Unit - Merchant Adventurer (Unique Merchant Unit): Increased Influence when establishing a Trade Route with Homeland civs. Increased Gold when establishing a Trade Route in Distant Lands for each Resource in that Settlement. 
• Unique Military Unit - Longbow (Unique Ranged Unit): Unique Ranged Unit. Increased Attack Range. Costs more to train or purchase.
• Unique Quarter - Abbey: Increased Culture in this Settlement for each of your Towns following your Religion.
  • Unique Building - Chapter House: Increased Culture. Increased Culture Adjacency with Happiness Buildings.
  • Unique Building - Chapel: Increased Gold. Increased Happiness Adjacency with Culture Buildings. Has a set number of Great Work slots.
• Associated Wonder - Globe Theatre: Increased Culture. Increased GDP per turn for each Great Work displayed. Has a set number of Great Work slots. Must be placed adjacent to a River.

Check out the full Game Guide for England here.

Update Notes

Gameplay

Maps & Map Generation

• Added True Start Location Earth map.
  • Some specific notes regarding TSL Earth: 
    • TSL Earth is only available at Huge Size, on PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.  
    • All TSL Earth games must start in the Antiquity Age. Advanced Starts are not currently supported on this map type. 
    • The Grand Canyon Natural Wonder does not spawn on TSL Earth.
    • Dev Note: Independent Powers do not currently map to their TSL spots on the map. We considered this, but too many leaders and civs require a density of IPs on the map to work well, and we opted for better gameplay. We are looking at the work it would take to add a TSL option for IPs but no timeline yet.
• Added Shuffle (Voronoi) map.
• Added Terra Incognita (Voronoi) map.
• Improved Resource Placement across all map types for faster loading speeds and new map generation functionality.
  • Dev Note: Similar to how our Voronoi generation changed how we generate maps, we also have a new approach to Resource placement that gives us new tools and different outputs. We’ll be taking your feedback into consideration as we tweak Resource placement in future patches.
• Niter Resources no longer incorrectly spawn in the player’s Homelands during the Antiquity Age.
• Rubber now regularly spawns in the Modern Age.

Diplomacy

• (★) You can now pay Influence to an Ally to avoid joining their war while still maintaining your relationship.
• WMD strikes can no longer be launched without starting a war.

Military

• [Tides of Power DLC] The Janissary Ottoman Unique Unit no longer incorrectly applies a Happiness penalty on Rural tiles.
• Mikasa (Meiji Japan) and [Crossroads of the World DLC] Modern Unique Heavy Naval units Revenge (Great Britain) now correctly receive a +1 Range increase upon reaching Tier 3

Miscellaneous

• Independent Powers no longer spawn within player Settlement borders.
• The Hoo-Do Wonder no longer fails to provide +1 Appeal to adjacent tiles.
• The Relationship Panel now correctly displays which leader settled too close to an opposing Capital.
• Addressed an issue where the Happiness Needed value in the Governments window displays as “0/0” during a Celebration.

Leaders & Civs

Leaders

• [Hall of History DLC] Added new leader Elizabeth I.
• [Hall of History DLC] Added new leader George Washington.
• Friedrich, Oblique and Gilgamesh leader Challenges now correctly grant completion credit.
• Pachacuti’s Mountain Food adjacency bonus no longer persists on buildings in a captured Settlement.
• Added a “Win in the Modern Age” platform achievement for the following DLC leaders on Steam, Epic, PlayStation, and Xbox:
  • Ada Lovelace
  • Simón Bolívar
  • Genghis Khan
  • Lakshmibai
  • Edward Teach
  • Sayyida al Hurra
  • Toyotomi Hideyoshi
  • Yi Sun-sin
  • George Washington
  • Elizabeth I

Civs

• [Hall of History DLC] Added new civ Gauls (Apex in Antiquity Age).
• [Hall of History DLC] Added new civ Babylon (Apex in Antiquity Age).
• [Hall of History DLC ] Added new civ England (Apex in Exploration Age).
• [Brush & Blade DLC] Sengoku Japan’s 4 Major Triumphs challenge can now be completed as expected.
• When playing as the Normans, the Bayeux Tapestry Tradition now correctly grants +4 Culture to captured Settlements.
• When playing as Russia, the Obshchina no longer incorrectly gains extra yields when placed on a Tundra.
• [Right to Rule DLC] Qajar now correctly unlocks for the Modern Age after playing as Achaemenid Persia in the Exploration Age with Advanced Start.

UI

General

• (★) Added a Radial Ruler into the Lens panel that allows players to measure tile distance from the cursor more effectively.
• (★) [PC-Only] Added an option to turn off specular reflection highlights on Deep Ocean tiles. 
  • Dev Note: This change should be especially helpful for content creators trying to limit video bitrate! 
• (★) Added Syncretism unlock information to various screens during game setup.
• Added a new toggle to the Appeal Lens that shows the specific Appeal value of a plot.
• Unavailable civilizations now correctly appear grayed out during the Exploration Age Transition.
• Loading screens no longer have an unnecessary scroll bar.
• The reset button in the options menu now correctly reverts changes made to font scale.
• The button prompts shown in the tutorial now correctly match modified user keybinds.
• The minimap camera map zoom now correctly functions when using the Scroll Wheel on the minimap.
• Addressed an issue preventing the Lens panel from opening correctly after a Civic or Tech unlock notification.
• The “Resource Replacement Failed” pop-up now correctly displays when attempting to replace Camels while unable to do so.
• In-game layout decoration and Lens systems no longer automatically change when establishing a Capital City.
• The player now correctly appears among the listed leaders in the defeat summary screen after Retiring.
• The “Collapse All” button in the City Details view now works as expected after cycling through multiple Cities.

Alignment & Spacing

• When viewing the Diplomacy menu with insufficient Influence, longer Independent Power names no longer overlap with the font icon.
• Naval Units’ flag icons no longer overlap each other when Units occupy the same tile.
• The Map Type menu no longer overlaps with tooltip UI in the Game Setup menu.

Controller-Specific

• The Government Overview panel now scrolls down fully when playing as the French Empire. 
• Addressed several issues where the controller could lose functionality when closing or dismissing certain UI elements.
• Addressed several controller cursor focus issues across the Religion, Diplomacy, Commerce, and Pause menus.
• Navigation no longer becomes unresponsive after hiding the nested tutorial tooltips in the Diplomacy Screen and taking a Diplomatic Action.
• If the ‘Add AI Player” option is unavailable in the Advanced Options menu, the cursor no longer disappears when moving over this option. 
• The 'Change Policies' button now successfully opens the Government screen when pressed on the Civic unlock pop-up during simultaneous Tech and Civic unlocks.
• Interacting with tutorial pop-ups in city menus no longer inadvertently triggers the "Edit Name" function.
• Independent Power screen button prompts now correctly appear when accessed from the Diplomacy Actions screen.

Text Changes

• Various text fixes and improvements across the game.
• Removed instances of placeholder text in Hotseat multiplayer.

Tooltips

• You can now see the Appeal and Appeal value of a tile via the Plot Tooltip. 
• The 'Occupied' tooltip now properly displays on hostile Units in neutral or enemy-owned territory.
• Narrative Event reward text is now present in the options box independent of whether tooltips are hidden.

Narrative

• Fixed various storylets that would not appropriately trigger or appear.  

Audio

• Nuclear detonation SFX/VFX now correctly plays when launched from a Squadron Commander.
• Addressed multiple music-loading issues in Hotseat mode.
• Improvements to multiple audio cues and SFX across various menus.

Platform-Specific

Switch/Switch 2

• Purchased DLC content can now be properly accessed while offline.